Nature

Nature, The First painting I did after buying my first real oil colour-From My first Salary

Nature A Painting by Dr Taha H Malasi 1972

The painting has a story.

I worked in the south of Sudan between 1970-1972. My mind was full of images of beautiful nature and I was planning to paint and paint. When I arrived to my house in Khartoum my mother and my aunt as well as many families were in a serious grief state and appears terrified.My mother told me that my older brother, Shawgi and my cousins; Musa Mukhtar were taken by the secret police and no one knew whether they were alive or dead.

While I was preparing to return to Khartoum from the south a military (communist coup) took over and president Numeri was arrested. He was horrible military dictator who ruled Sudan from 1969 after he toppled the democratic system. However 3 days later a (counter coup) supporting the president released him. Mr Numeri went completely berserk after he was released. He was in a panicky state , killed and arrested not just the leaders of the coup and leaders of the communist party but everyone who has an opinion, public figure or a writer. His milicia was combing the street by street ,from house to house arresting people. His supporter shot and killed many army officers and civilian .

It took us over 2 years to discover where my brother was. he was in the notorious (Kober Prison) . Among the arrested and imprisoned was my college and fried Dr Shiek Idris- He was instrumental in me falling in love with psychiatry. To cut long story short, it was a nightmare.

Mean while I bought my first (authentic oil color), that I was never able to possess before; but there was no canvases to buy in Sudan. My mother offered me a piece of cloth and asked a carpenter to make a frame and stretch it. I did not know how a canvas is prepared so I had to improvise, so I painted it with (gypsum) and started painting.

The ideas I had in my mind to start with bright and hyappy but the atmosphere was sad. I had the imagse of what and how I wanted to painted in my head, the start was slow and difficult. In a (eureka) moment I discovered the the (transparency technique) , My mother was growing a (papaya and a Banana tree) side by side, It was possible to see the leafs of the papaya through the transparent banana leafs and it was very exciting.

The atmosphere was depressing but I found solace in painting. My colors was darker that usual. However suddenly my brother was released from prison after 2 years detention without a trial, without a charge. He was intorregated by the president himself and thretened with death. The president knows my brother who was a famous layer, they were collagues in ( Hantoub) high secoundry school! When finaly they find nothing against him he was released! My colors changed and brightened and I finished the painting!?

The Horrible dictator ruled for 17 years but eventually he was kicked out of power by a public uprising and democracy was restored for two years.